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41 people believed to be dead in Russian passenger plane fire, investigators say

Posted: 1:58 PM, May 05, 2019

Updated:2019-05-05 17:00:48-04

By:
CNN Newsource

UPDATE (3 PM MT): Forty-one people are believed to be dead after a fire broke out aboard an Aeroflot flight in Russia Sunday, investigators told Russian news agency Interfax.

ORIGINAL STORY: At least 13 people are dead after a fire broke out aboard an Aeroflot flight in Russia Sunday,the country's Investigative Committee said.

Two children are among the dead, according to the committee.

The Russian Superjet 100 was flying from Moscow to Murmansk when a fire broke out on board. Aeroflot Flight SU1492 returned to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, making a hard landing, news agency Interfax reported.

Russia's Ministry of Health said seven people were also injured as a result of the incident, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders 'thorough investigation'

Videos on social media show the plane engulfed in flames on the tarmac and people evacuating through emergency slides.

A passenger in a plane waiting to depart Moscow posted this video on Instagram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the fiery emergency landing of the Aeroflot jet in Moscow and has ordered a "thorough investigation," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

"All instructions have been given to conduct the most thorough investigation, [to carry out] the necessary orders to find out the cause of this accident," said Peskov, according to TASS.

The plane had 73 passengers and five crew memberson board, according to TASS.

Aeroflot, the unofficial national airline of Russia, confirmed that the fire occurred but hasn't commented yet on casualties.

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the incident, it said on its website. The committee routinely conducts investigations into major incidents with loss of life.